Personalis (NASDAQ:PSNL) Stock Price Up 8.1% - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Personalis shares rose 8.1% in mid-day trading, reaching as high as $10.93 after closing at $10.06 the previous session. Trading volume was well below average, with 332,454 shares changing hands.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but constructive, with five Buy ratings, one Hold, and one Sell rating. The consensus target price is $11.00, even as some firms recently trimmed their price targets.
• Recent fundamentals and insider selling may be weighing on the stock: the company missed EPS estimates in its latest quarter despite beating revenue expectations, and top executives sold shares in pre-arranged transactions over the past month.

Personalis, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSNL - Get Free Report)'s share price shot up 8.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $10.93 and last traded at $10.8740. 332,454 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average session volume of 1,942,976 shares. The stock had previously closed at $10.06.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PSNL has been the topic of several analyst reports. BTIG Research cut their price target on Personalis from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of Personalis in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Needham & Company LLC upped their price objective on Personalis from $10.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Personalis from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Personalis from $10.00 to $9.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Personalis presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $11.00.

Personalis Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $1.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -10.52 and a beta of 2.28. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $8.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $8.23.

Personalis (NASDAQ:PSNL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.29) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.23) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $15.47 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.48 million. Personalis had a negative net margin of 148.11% and a negative return on equity of 43.52%. On average, equities analysts expect that Personalis, Inc. will post -1.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Personalis news, CEO Christopher M. Hall sold 80,091 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.02, for a total value of $882,602.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 235,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,600,565.72. This represents a 25.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Aaron Tachibana sold 40,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.01, for a total value of $480,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 198,833 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,387,984.33. This represents a 16.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 178,799 shares of company stock worth $2,031,692. Company insiders own 4.20% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Personalis

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in shares of Personalis by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 78,341 shares of the company's stock valued at $275,000 after acquiring an additional 2,395 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd increased its position in Personalis by 75.6% during the first quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 76,729 shares of the company's stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 33,044 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in Personalis by 55.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 284,426 shares of the company's stock worth $998,000 after purchasing an additional 101,706 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth purchased a new position in Personalis during the first quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Personalis by 505.6% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 29,491 shares of the company's stock worth $193,000 after purchasing an additional 24,621 shares during the period. 61.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Personalis

Personalis, Inc NASDAQ: PSNL is a clinical‐stage genomics company that develops and markets advanced next‐generation sequencing (NGS) services and assays designed to accelerate precision medicine. The Company's core offering is the ImmunoID NeXT™ Platform, which combines comprehensive tumor profiling—including whole exome, transcriptome, and T‐cell receptor sequencing—with proprietary bioinformatics to identify biomarkers and guide immuno‐oncology research. Personalis serves biopharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and clinical research organizations seeking in‐depth insights into cancer, autoimmune diseases and other complex conditions.

In addition to its flagship ImmunoID NeXT™ Platform, Personalis offers a suite of customizable sequencing assays for biomarker discovery, clinical trial support and companion diagnostic development.

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